Cook County Assult Weapon Ban

Posted by Bill on May 19, 2012 in Articles | 0 comments

Reasonable restrictions on the public to promote the overall well being of the citizenry is part of living in a representative democracy….

The Peoples Democratic Republic of Cook County has taken this to the absurd, and has instituted one of the most restrictive firearms ban in the nation. Sadly this law is so controversial its supporters even have the nerve to say why worry its rarely enforced…

Here it is:

Sec. 54-211. – Definitions.

The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this division, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

Assault weapon means:

(1)

A semiautomatic rifle that has the capacity to accept a large capacity magazine detachable or otherwise and one or more of the following:

(A)

Only a pistol grip without a stock attached;

(B)

Any feature capable of functioning as a protruding grip that can be held by the non-trigger hand;

(C)

A folding, telescoping or thumbhole stock;

(D)

A shroud attached to the barrel, or that partially or completely encircles the barrel, allowing the bearer to hold the firearm with the non-trigger hand without being burned, but excluding a slide that encloses the barrel; or

(E)

A muzzle brake or muzzle compensator;

(2)

A semiautomatic pistol or any semi-automatic rifle that has a fixed magazine, that has the capacity to accept more than ten rounds of ammunition;

(3)

A semiautomatic pistol that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine and has one or more of the following:

(A)

Any feature capable of functioning as a protruding grip that can be held by the non-trigger hand;

(B)

A folding, telescoping or thumbhole stock;

(C)

A shroud attached to the barrel, or that partially or completely encircles the barrel, allowing the bearer to hold the firearm with the non-trigger hand without being burned, but excluding a slide that encloses the barrel;

(D)

A muzzle brake or muzzle compensator; or

(E)

The capacity to accept a detachable magazine at some location outside of the pistol grip.

(4)

A semiautomatic shotgun that has one or more of the following:

(A)

Only a pistol grip without a stock attached;

(B)

Any feature capable of functioning as a protruding grip that can be held by the non-trigger hand;

(C)

A folding, telescoping or thumbhole stock;

(D)

A fixed magazine capacity in excess of five rounds; or

(E)

An ability to accept a detachable magazine;

(5)

Any shotgun with a revolving cylinder.

(6)

Conversion kit, part or combination of parts, from which an assault weapon can be assembled if those parts are in the possession or under the control of the same person;

(7)

Shall include, but not be limited to, the assault weapons models identified as follows:

(A)

The following rifles or copies or duplicates thereof:

(i)

AK, AKM, AKS, AK-47, AK-74, ARM, MAK90, Misr, NHM 90, NHM 91, SA 85, SA 93, VEPR;

(ii)

AR-10;

(iii)

AR-15, Bushmaster XM15, Armalite M15, or Olympic Arms PCR;

(iv)

AR70;

(v)

Calico Liberty;

(vi)

Dragunov SVD Sniper Rifle or Dragunov SVU;

(vii)

Fabrique National FN/FAL, FN/LAR, or FNC;

(viii)

Hi-Point Carbine;

(ix)

HK-91, HK-93, HK-94, or HK-PSG-1;

(x)

Kel-Tec Sub Rifle;

(xi)

Saiga;

(xii)

SAR-8, SAR-4800;

(xiii)

SKS with detachable magazine;

(xiv)

SLG 95;

(xv)

SLR 95 or 96;

(xvi)

Steyr AUG;

(xvii)

Sturm, Ruger Mini-14;

(xviii)

Tavor;

(xix)

Thompson 1927, Thompson M1, or Thompson 1927 Commando; or

(xx)

Uzi, Galil and Uzi Sporter, Galil Sporter, or Galil Sniper Rifle (Galatz).

(B)

The following pistols or copies or duplicates thereof:

(i)

Calico M-110;

(ii)

MAC-10, MAC-11, or MPA3;

(iii)

Olympic Arms OA;

(iv)

TEC-9, TEC-DC9, TEC-22 Scorpion, or AB-10; or

(v)

Uzi.

(C)

The following shotguns or copies or duplicates thereof:

(i)

Armscor 30 BG;

(ii)

SPAS 12 or LAW 12;

(iii)

Striker 12; or

(iv)

Streetsweeper.

“Assault weapon” does not include any firearm that has been made permanently inoperable, or satisfies the definition of “antique firearm,” stated in this section, or weapons designed for Olympic target shooting events.

Detachable magazine means any ammunition feeding device, the function of which is to deliver one or more ammunition cartridges into the firing chamber, which can be removed from the firearm without the use of any tool, including a bullet or ammunition cartridge.

Large capacity magazine means any ammunition feeding device with the capacity to accept more than ten rounds, but shall not be construed to include the following:

(1)

A feeding device that has been permanently altered so that it cannot accommodate more than ten rounds.

(2)

A 22 caliber tube ammunition feeding device.

(3)

A tubular magazine that is contained in a lever-action firearm.

Muzzle brake means a device attached to the muzzle of a weapon that utilizes escaping gas to reduce recoil.

Muzzle compensator means a device attached to the muzzle of a weapon that utilizes escaping gas to control muzzle movement.

(Ord. No. 93-O-37, § 6-1, 10-19-1993; Ord. No. 93-O-46, § 6-1, 11-16-1993; Ord. No. 94-O-33, 7-6-1994; Ord. No. 99-O-27, Pt. 3(6-1), 11-23-1999; Ord. No. 06-O-50, 11-14-2006.)

Sec. 54-212. – Assault weapons and large capacity magazines; sale prohibited; exceptions.

(a)

No person shall manufacture, sell, offer or display for sale, give, lend, transfer ownership of, acquire or possess any assault weapon or large capacity magazine. This subsection shall not apply to:

(1)

The sale or transfer to, or possession by any officer, agent, or employee of Cook County or any other municipality or state or of the United States, members of the armed forces of the United States; or the organized militia of this or any other state; or peace officers to the extent that any such person named in this subsection is otherwise authorized to acquire or possess an assault weapon and/or large capacity magazine and does so while acting within the scope of his or her duties;

(2)

Transportation of assault weapons or large capacity magazine if such weapons are broken down and in a nonfunctioning state and are not immediately accessible to any person.

(b)

Any assault weapon or large capacity magazine possessed, sold or transferred in violation of Subsection (a) of this section is hereby declared to be contraband and shall be seized and disposed of in accordance with the provisions of Section 54-213

(c)

Any person found in violation of this section shall be sentenced to not more than six months imprisonment or fined not less than $500.00 and not more than $1,000.00, or both.

(d)

Any person who, prior to the effective date of the ordinance codified in this section, was legally in possession of an assault weapon or large capacity magazine prohibited by this section shall have 90 days from the effective date of the ordinance to do any of the following without being subject to prosecution hereunder:

(1)

To remove the assault weapon or large capacity magazine from within the limits of the County of Cook; or

(2)

To modify the assault weapon or large capacity magazine either to render it permanently inoperable or to permanently make it a device no longer defined as an assault weapon or large capacity magazine; or

(3)

To surrender the assault weapon or large capacity magazine to the Sheriff or his designee for disposal as provided below.

(Ord. No. 93-O-37, § 6-2, 10-19-1993; Ord. No. 93-O-46, § 6-2, 11-16-1993; Ord. No. 94-O-33, 7-6-1994; Ord. No. 99-O-27, Pt. 3(6-2), 11-23-1999; Ord. No. 06-O-50, 11-14-2006.)

Sec. 54-213. – Destruction of weapons confiscated.

(a)

Whenever any firearm or large capacity magazine is surrendered or confiscated pursuant to the terms of this article, the Sheriff shall ascertain whether such firearm is needed as evidence in any matter.

(b)

If such firearm or large capacity magazine is not required for evidence it shall be destroyed at the direction of the Sheriff. A record of the date and method of destruction an inventory or the firearm or large capacity magazine so destroyed shall be maintained.

(Ord. No. 93-O-37, § 6-3, 10-19-1993; Ord. No. 94-O-33, 7-6-1994; Ord. No. 99-O-27, Pt. 3(6-3), 11-23-1999; Ord. No. 06-O-50, 11-14-2006.)

Secs. 54-214—54-240. – Reserved.

(cited 5-15-2012)

Ok I feel a lot better knowing that my wife does not have the legal option to have a semi auto shotgun with a flashlight forward grip. I’m sure this forward grip has been instrumental in the effective outcome of numerous crimes across the city. In addition, who would of thought a threaded barrel with a muzzle brake would promote or facilitate viloent crime. To add insult to injury, laser sights are also illegal. Heck even sling shots are illegal in Cook County… God knows how many violent crimes thoes Little Rascals, Alfalfa and Spanky committed with theirs back in the day…One interesting note: While researching this I learned that New Zeland and many European Countries require hunters to hunt with supressed rifles. The supressed rifle offers significant recoil reduction along with being less intrusive to the neighbors and wild life. Having a supressed rifle in Illinois is a felony. In most states its legal. 49 states also allow CCW. Illinois is the only one that does not. All have a lower crime rate than Illinois…

With over 400 shot year to date (2012)… More Americans were shot in Cook County than in Iraq or Afghanistan…Our dear leaders in Cook County feel more intrusion on ones Second Amendment rights are necessary to reduce gun violence. This of course is from the same type of left leaning bureaucrat who thinks putting Syria on the UN Human Rights Council will help.

This doubling down on the misguided belief that gun control works has lead to thousands of law abiding citizens to simply shrug their shoulders and say “its better to be judged by twelve than be carried by six” …Those that do follow the law leave themselves less capable of easily defending themselves. Pistol Grips, Protruding Grips, Muzzle Brakes and Laser Sights all make any firearm easier to control and aim. Is it the intent of Cook County to handicap its citizens with personal defense weapons that are hard to control and aim?

Hornady Z-Max in Stock!

Posted by Rick on May 13, 2012 in New Products | 0 comments

Stock up while you can, These were a limited production for just components and Hornady will only have their Z-Max Bullets in production ammo moving forward.

Click Here to Buy

Nickle vs Brass

Posted by Bill on May 11, 2012 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

Nickle Plated Brass vs Regular Brass…Which one is better.

This debate has been going on longer than who’s hotter…Ginger or Mary Ann??

Nickle Brass has several advantages over Regular Brass. Its corrosion resistant, feeds smoother and looks nice. Its disadvantages are its more expensive, harder and may flake.

The corrosian restance of nickle in the best reasons to use it for long term storage and hunting. I’ve been on several hunting trips were rain and cold weather induced condensation were common on both ammunition and rifle. After a week in the woods the brass ammunation needed a bath in the tumbler with a little polish. I admit at the end of each day I could of gave each round a daily wipedown with a silicon cloth but had better things to do around the camp fire. On other hunting trips the nickle plated ammunition looked like new.

For auto loading rifles and pistols smooth operation is key. The smoothness of the nickle makes loading and extraction much easier. Especially in an other than indoor-range enviroment. One story that I heard from a fellow hunter was they were hunting deer with AR15s chambered in 300 Blackout. This is an excellent combination due to its low recoil for youth and ladies and the terminal performance of the 30cal is devistating inside 100 yards. The hunt went well with the group taking two deer in a three day period. All guns were unloaded and cased for the drive home. What went unnoticed was one round was stuck in the chamber. The AR15 Bolt was unable to extract this perfect but slightly corroded round from a dirty chamber. The round was removed with a screw driver using next to no effort. I doubt this would have happened with nickle plated brass and daily cleaning. Two important things to note are clean rifles and brass are extreemly important and always assume any gun is always loaded. Always check the chamber after unloading any weapon. This should be common practice and is mandentory after each drill during my LEO Requall. Stuff happens to thoes who are ill trained, prepared and/or excercise poor habits. Good thing this was caught.

Smooth feeding is paramount in auto loading rifles. I personally prefer to use only nickle plated brass in my Match AR10. Neck sizing allows for a tight fit and improved accuracy. No matter how much I clean regular brass I cannot be assured of reliable extraction or feeding with once fired necksized regular brass. Once fired nickle brass is another story. I have yet to witness a feeding or extraction problem using neck sized nickle brass with my rifle. Both shoot sub MOA and I cannot measure any accuracy difference. Generally one must full length size brass especially in the AR15. By only neck sizing nickle brass, my AR10 can shoot better than 3/4 MOA with M852 Match she is only less than 1MOA. The only thing keeping her from 1/2MOA is overall bullet length and maggazine size. Will have to prove this with a follow up write up with Pics.

Now that the advantages have been mentioned the biggest disadvantage is brittleness. Its been my personal experence that 308 nickle plated rifle brass does not last as long as regular. Especially when compared to Lapula 308 Brass. Cracks in the neck are not frequent but not uncommon after three or four sizings. Pistol brass is another story. I use nickle and regular in both my 44 Desert Eagle and Glock 20. My experience is the life expectancy is the same. I honesty cannot count how may times I’ve reloaded this brass but its at least 8 and both preform equally well. Given similar price I would opt for nickle in pistol brass any time.

There have been claims that the nickle may flake off and dammage the rifle or reloading dies. I have not experienced this in the thousands of pistol rounds loaded. I would caution to use quality dies. Quality dies are very hard. Much harder than Nickle and if this was an issue it would be moot with any die thats hardned.

RCBS Lube Die

Posted by Rick on May 10, 2012 in Reloading | 0 comments

So… I am one of those guys that likes to skip out on all the tedious rolling around and getting things lubed up, I like to just Get in there and starting pounding it out!

To help me with the foreplay of pressing rounds I decided to get the RCBS Lube Die to save me time and allow me to focus on the rest of the reloading process. Let’s take a quick look at at what you get.

For progressive press reloaders this will replace your sizing/depriming die at station 1 and move your resizing die to station two. You will have to adjust the deprimer pin all the way up so it does not deprime your freshly primed cartridge. Because I will be processing quite a bit of Military brass I will be running only station one and two. Then I will swage the primer pockets and then continue to the next step of the reloading process. (Editors Note: Look for an upcoming article on various methods of removing crimps on military brass)

The RCBS Lube die has felt innards that holds the lubricant and applys it to the cases.

The rubber ring at the top is where you will inject the case lube into. RCBS directions tells us to put the die on the press and to leave the opening exposed for 30 minutes after injecting the case lube to allow the lube to properly saturate the felt applicators.

Coming Soon: Case Prep Round 1

Winter Hammock Camping 2011 – Pictorial

Posted by Lonely Raven on May 8, 2012 in Articles | 0 comments

Editors Note: This was originally written in January 2011 – This is posted here as an into to Winter Hammock Camping

I’ve been doing my best the past year to try and get out more. I was invited to a small winter camping event in upper Minnesota!

It an attempt to be brief and let the photos do the talking: It was a 9 hour drive, first night was -10F second night was -14F, 9 hour drive back. Sleeping in a hammock with great down quilts is the best at any temp! Snowshoeing in traditional snowshoes is tough, but a requirement in soft “float” that’s knee deep at best!

It was a tough weekend, but we had good support from some very experienced outdoorsman, we had a warm tent in case of emergencies, and being well equipped and knowing how to build a good fire made this a great weekend. I’d absolutely do it again!

My pulk loaded up:

Everyone getting unloaded. It was a 45 minute 4X4 drive from the farm we parked our 2 wheel drive cars at, then another mile snowshoe through the woods to the spot we picked for our campsite.

My first time in Snow Shoes – and Traditional Snow Shoes on top of that!

Some people even made their own gear out of traditional materials to try out.

Mush!

At least my heads warm!

Crummy photo of my setup. I was tired after a 9 hour drive, 45 minute 4X4, then 40 minute snowshoe. This is my winter tarp I made, my hammock with down insulation below and inside, and my pulk (sled) stashed inside as it was just starting to snow. No time to nap though, need to setup camp!

To help block the wind, we setup a parachute between trees, and put up a couple emergency (reflective) blankets up on the north side where the wind was blowing in from, and built a small fire in the middle.

The “hot house” which is for emergencies, cooking, and drying out any gear that may have gotten wet. The area we are in is surrounded by water and beaver dams. During our march through the trails, we could hear water running under the ice/snow just a few feet off the path. Only two people needed the hot house over the weekend, and one wound up going home early.

We still wound up cooking over an open fire….hmmmm, bacon on a stick!
Seriously though, the butcher fresh bacon was smoked over the open fire for aboout 3-5 hours and we’d just grab a piece in between gathering wood and other camp chores. That was some of the best bacon I’d ever had. Evar!

I did some exploring and photos. The Nikon held up like a champ, never giving me any issues! The batteries and 3rd party lenses on the other hand were a challenge. Anything that could be affected by the cold had to be kept on your person, in your jacket(s) at all times. So I had cell phone (for emergencies though were were hell and gone from any cell reception), spare cell battery, two Nikon batteries, toiletries, food, tinder, and water all stuffed into my sweater and jacket. Anyways, this photo was taken just a little bit before noon. I was surprised by how low the sun was at this hour!

We had some serious frost issues from the moisture coming off our bodies, and our breath. I had to hang all my down gear in the sun to dry out every morning, otherwise the down would get plugged up with ice and not be terribly warm. Snow piled up along the edges of my tarp helped keep the wind from ripping through and stealing all my warmth.

View from Camp – Quite a nice view from the hammock, even if it is -10F

We also had some “classes” on emergency shelters, fire building, and general bushcraft. In this photo we were working on a “super shelter”; which is a fire built outside of a plastic drop cloth shelter with an emergency (reflective) blanket as a back wall. It creates a (smoke free) greenhouse that was about 40F compared to the -1F outside. 40F doesn’t sound like much, but I assure you, it’s all relative! Everyone who popped into the hammock in the super shelter started to nod off almost immediately. Ahh, outdoor comfort!

Beer, coffee, and cowboy chili made over the open fire! We certainly ate well since we all pitched in some food, and had fresh meat provided by local hunter.

Some crummy sky shots. I couldn’t get over how beautiful the stars were this far north, and without direct light pollution (though there was still some). It was tough to get these shots at -10F as the gear lube in the lens was freezing and turning into snot, the tripod legs froze stuck in position, and I needed to have 1 to 2 *minutes* shutter exposure. So there is blurring from the earth moving during these long shutter times. Still, I like what I got. Look at all those stars!!

It was fun for most of us. (just kidding, nobody died – this time)

Thanks for looking!

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This was a post in forum from early last year, I thought I’d resurrect it here at FST to help kick off some articles on Hammock Camping, Down vs Synthetic gear, Camp Stoves, and general Out-of-Doors endeavors we get into around here. Please comment if you have any questions or something specific you want us to write out.

Mill Dot & TMR

Posted by Bill on May 6, 2012 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

The mil dot reticle has become the standard in tactical rifle scopes. Versions of the Leupold Mark IV, Night Force and many other scopes give the users a reliable old school means of determining distances to targets. With proper practice and study, establishing leads for moving targets, and alternate aiming points for windage and elevation holds allows qualified shooters of any discipline the tool to place their shot precisely.

The Mil Dot and the TMR(Tactical Mil Recital) are a simple gauge that has a fixed angel. First we will discuss the Mil Dot. But first what is a Mil?…There are 2π (2 times Pi) radians in a circle or 360º. Dividing 360 by 2π gives us 57.3º per radian. A Mil is a milliradian or 1/1000 of a radian. 1 Mil is 0.057º, or at 100 yards is 3.6 inches. Using basic math (not the same math taught in inner city public schools), the formula is range in yards= Object height in inches x 27.8/Mils. Say an object or target is 72” tall. One Mil will be = to 2000 yards…Out of range for most shooters.

The next situation is a tall 6 foot jihadie who fits perfectly within 2.5 dots. The formula is Height in Inches x 27.8 / Mils = Distance in yards. 72” x 27.8/2.5 = 800 yards

Note: The range estimation is only as accurate as your size estimation. Say the jihadie is only 62” tall and measures 2.5 Mils. 62×27.8/3= 689 Yards. This error can lead to a 308 168gr bullet at this range striking over 3.9′ high.

Other objects like wheel rims are more commonly sized than people or wild game. The standard wheel rim is 15”. Say the rim fits within 2 ½ Dots the range would be 15*27.8/2.5=166.8 or 167 yards.

Military snipers are well versed in standard object sizes. Knowing the size of a garbage can, 55 gal drum, common car or doorway can be invaluable in range estimation.

Both hunters and snipers are versed in the concepr of hold over and kentecky windage. Both the Mil Dot and TMR allows for increasec accuracy. In the next example the Jihadie is 500 yards away and the rifle is sighted in for 300 yards. Wind is 10 mph from left to right. According to the ballistic chart this bullet will drop 37″ and drift 26″ to caculate the hold over in Mils simply use this formula: Bullet (Drop from Zero in Inches -6)/((Range in Yards/100)x3.5) or (37-6)/(5×3.5)=1.77 Mils. The Lead formula is the same (26-6)/(5×3.5)=1.14 Mils.

The TMR or Tactical Mil Retical is an evolution of the Mil Dot with more percise Mil marks. The following pic shows the similarities and improvements.

The TMR can also approximate the bullet drop of standard Nato 5.56 and 7.62.

Gun Safe Refurb Part 1 – Exterior

Posted by Lonely Raven on May 5, 2012 in Lonely Raven | 0 comments

Ok, some of us can’t afford to drop a few grand on a new gun safe, some of us are just cheap…I guess I’m a little bit of both. I found a goodly sized gun safe on Craigs List that I literally traded my old computer for. This is Part 1 of a multi-part Gun Safe Refurb. In later parts I’ll show the digital lock I installed, custom interior I’m designing and building, and the lighting feature for this safe. But for now, let’s see how this project is progressing, shall we?

So I finally purchased a house with a decent sized basement, I figured it was time to find a gun safe to safely store my quickly growing collection of firearms. Every time I go to the local shops to pick up reloading supplies, I’d always meander through the maze of safes and had a good idea of what I wanted. I just didn’t have $3k for it! So I hit the usual suspects, forums, eBay, and Craigs List. As luck would have it, a gentleman not too far from me posted a “come and get it” ad saying he had this old gun safe that came with the house he just moved into, and he wanted it out…he also wanted a computer. Working IT for a living and I happen to be looking for a gun safe; clearly the Gods must be pleased with my offerings of lead and electrons. The photos in the ad were small, and looked just like this:

I’ll not bore you with the story of me pushing a 550lb safe up a flight of stairs and the hernia that resulted. Nor how I fit a 22 gun safe in my little Scion XB and the rear window getting knocked out while driving over railroad tracks. But I will say that I was pleased with the trade, at the cost of an old computer, some torn muscles, and a new rear window on the car. So far this cost me about $180 for the new rear window (the computer was “retired” so really had no value to me).

I was nonplussed with the combination lock…having a terrible memory and the tedium of 4 turns to the right, 3 turns to the left, 2 turns to the right BS, got me started on looking for a digital lock. Add to that, if you look at the first photo, WTF was the previous owner thinking, putting stick on insulation strip on the *outside* of the door? I can only imagine the old guy that owned the house and the safe, previously had heard that using insulation strip on the door would help him maintain a more consistent humidity…I mean, the safe did have two large desiccant cans inside (bonus!), so I can only guess he was a little confused as to where the insulation strip should have gone. The grey shag carpeting in the safe tells you how old this thing is. LOL

First things first, lets clean up this door. This insulation on the *outside* has to go, and I’m not a fan of name brands emblazoned on the things I own…no offence to Browning, just not my thing. Unfortunately, the adhesive on the weather strip did a good job of soaking into the textured paint/powdercoat on the door, so peeling and shaving it away with a razor left me with bare metal.

Not a pretty sight, but hopefully some sanding and the tried and true Rustoleum Hammer Tone will fix this up.

Fast Forward a bit, after lots of sanding with the random orbital and some 80 grit.

Ready for paint, or so I thought:

It turns out, hammer tone finish wasn’t enough to cover up the hard edged transition between the factory finish and the adhesive damaged finish I stripped away. So I came up with another clever idea, and ran out to the local hardware store and picked up a stone texture type finish which would cover up the rough looking door. This gave me a great base coat to put the hammer tone finish on and finally started looking like I might know what I was doing.